Hollywood, Firewood, Apaches and Honor. A discussion with Jay Tavare.

A few days ago, I sat down for a discussion with Actor, Writer, Producer and Director Jay Tavare and I must say, Redheads, he is a very smart, very perceptive man.

Now, a lot of people know who Jay Tavare is.  Some don't. If not, go to http://www.jaytavare.com. 

And no, he was NOT in The Last of the Mohicans. But I still let him speak to me. (Kidding, Jay, KIDDING!)

Hey, wait a minute..isn't that...?

(Regular readers will appreciate that I snuck in a Magua reference, yet again.)

But, let's change tacks here and focus on a warm heart.

This post re-visits the conversation I had with Jay Tavare about his charity work, including suicide prevention with the Apache Nation and the Warming Hearts Firewood Fund, which is such a tangible, simple way to improve the lives of Dine' Elders and families who need one of the most basic necessities-heat.



But do you know what Adopt-A-Native-Elder is? Go to http://anelder.org.  Is this group not awesome!?

I asked Jay about his involvement with Adopt-A-Native-Elder (ANE). As it was in his article in the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/adopt-a-native-elder_b_831765.html) I could hear the great passion in his voice that Jay has for helping people. Not just "his" people, but people.  When someone so recognizable turns that influence away from himself and toward those who are hurting, he becomes much less of a persona-he's simply a fine and honourable man.

He told me he was hesitant to go to the first ANE Rug Show that he'd been invited to, which surprised me. And yet?  He's now the celebrity spokesperson for ANE. How cool is that? For years, he's mobilized people to come and work at the ANE Rug Show in Park City, Utah (Nov 8th-10th, 2013!) and has helped build the event into a huge success. (http://youtu.be/8IlM-f7umI4)
He's raised thousands of dollars and has brought light and attention to an extremely worthy cause that benefits all involved. Ask him about his very special Spirit Volunteers and you're going to get an ear full of love! 

Jay's very unique and practical Warming Hearts Firewood Fund is under the auspices of ANE and grew out of a simple need.

Simple, yes.
Easy to solve?
No.

Then again...yes it is.

 Hollywood actor Jay Tavare has a great love for the Elders and our Program. His support over the years led to the establishment of this program for firewood donations. Firewood is a critical winter need for many of our Elders. This fund collects donations that will be disbursed to Elders in need of this resource.

A sum of 100$ will provide the firewood needed for one family for one month. I said 'a sum'. Now, this is where YOU come in.

Many Dine' Elders need, need, NEED firewood. Imagine you're 82 and arthritic and worn out from tending your sheep and livestock. You come in from a long, cold day and you're hungry. You have no electricity. And you never have had any.
So you go to your little woodpile.
And there's nothing left.
So you go outside and see that maybe you don't have any outside, either.
And you're in trouble, because it's going down to 15 degrees tonight.

What can we do?
Well, seriously, how much was that most recent copy of Vanity Fair? People? Scientific American? (You can borrow mine...)

Or for the big guns, that triple espresso you sucked back on the way to the gym? Or the app that tells you what time it is on the moon.

The beauty of Warming Hearts, is that you can donate ANY AMOUNT.

5$ 10$ 1000$

Let's do our math. 20 people x 5$ = 1 month of fire wood.
20 people x 20$= 4 months of firewood.

Hey, here's a deal!!! Whoever donates 200$ to Warming Hearts gets a phone call from me and I'll sing Suo Gan over the phone. A cappella. In Welsh. People!
In Welsh!
That's like, tricky!

Think I'm kidding?

I am not.

And yes, I can sing it.

But enough about moi. (Seriously, I will sing that entire piece. For 200$.)

 Hey, I just thought of something...Jay might sing it for 10,000$!! Hey Jay? Jay?
Jay?

Umm....Mr Tavare, sir?

Here's the link for Warming Hearts, have at it, people!

http://www.anelder.org/products/show.php?id=15867&sub=&type=435

Another program that Jay talked about, and he had me choking up as he spoke, is the Honor Your Life program through the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico. I didn't mention it at the time, but I have 4 children, 3 of whom are in the age range of the children he mentioned who killed themselves.

"Honor your life, stop death in its tracks" is the theme of the program. He spoke of going to New Mexico and said "There was not a day my eyes were dry. There's not a single family that hasn't been affected by tragedy." 

He also said "I do not go to preach, but to go and share my own experiences. I do not do these things because I want the credit. Hopefully I can inspire them."

He discussed the growing gap between Elders, who have the time and the stories that they need to pass down, and youth who are dealing with a lack of identity as they function in a world that lives at a the speed of a text. Hope and change are coming, which is fantastic! 

Here is the 2011 article from Huffington Post.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/suicide-american-indian-reservation_b_821639.html 

The article is fascinating and extremely well written. 

At the beginning of our conversation I told Jay that I wasn't as impressed with his Hollywood career as I was with what he did with it. I realized, in hindsight, that I may have come across as entirely disrespectful of the man's job and accomplishments on a professional level, and for that, Jay, I humbly apologize.

(The "R" in Jennifer is for RUDE.)

I've read through his Huffington Post articles, and some of the discussions on his Facebook pages, and I've seen a bit of the intensity with which he approaches serving those who are weary of this world. 

It is one thing to be famous, but it is another thing entirely to take the power of that fame and fire it toward those the world has ignored and passed by, and bring to them a measure of joy.

And yes, firewood.
Well done.

Thank you, Jay, for taking the time to talk to me, for working so hard to help so many and for giving us the ability to help them as well.



I'll end with a quote from Jay's Huffington Post article on suicide prevention...

As the Apache say "G'u Z'u D'alsh". 

"Let all good things happen".  

~~~~

As I edit this, it's roughly 6:30 am California time. I was thinking the post was too long to include the Jay's involvement in The Apache Freedom Run. But the more I thought about it, I decided that I couldn't NOT include it. 

I'm a writer. I know how to break a heart with words. But those words are fiction. Jay's words at the beginning of his article just about do me in. And I've read this article many times. This happened. This is FACT, people.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jay-tavare/apache-freedom-run_b_2895280.html



All kinds of people re-enact Civil War battles. Many pretend to be someone from another time, another place. 

But how many pretend to be the prey? The hunted? How many of us could run a marathon with the wind of our ancestors at our backs and pound our feet and body for 26 miles?

He could have easily told the media about the run, asked for some money, waved a few times and gone home. Face it, he's famous. He can leave his involvement at making a call and talking to anyone about what's on his mind. 

But instead? He trained in a 'little race' in Los Angeles. 

And then he went and put his feet to work.

G'u Z'u D'alsh, Jay.


~~~~~~~~~~~


Hey!! Now that you've stared at his...shoes?

Feel free to buy some firewood.

http://www.anelder.org/products/show.php?id=15867&sub=&type=435